Isaiah

Hartenstein

Holmgren came out hot in Game 1, scoring 13 points in the first quarter. He didn’t offer much production after that, but the Thunder really didn’t need much from him. Holmgren’s final line only lacked an assist, and he was one of three starters to block two shots. Oklahoma City’s bigs were excellent defensively, with Isaiah Hartenstein (eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks) and Jaylin Williams (five points, four rebounds, two assists, four steals and one three-pointer) joining Holmgren in recording at least two “stocks.” Holmgren is one of the finalists for Defensive Player of the Year, joining San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and Detroit’s Ausar Thompson.

With the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference secured earlier this week, the Thunder’s priority has been getting their rotation players to full strength. No Holmgren, Hartenstein or JayWill means that Branden Carlson and Kenrich Williams will play significant minutes on Sunday, as was the case in Friday’s loss to the Nuggets.

Hartenstein and Joe are among the several Thunder players who have been ruled out of Friday’s matchup with the Nuggets. OKC officially clinched homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs after defeating the Clippers on Wednesday. Friday’s game, however, could affect the Nuggets’ standing in the Western Conference standings.

The Thunder were able to limit the playing time of Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (five rebounds, two assists and one steal), with the former logging 22 minutes and the latter ten. Cason Wallace (5/2/3/3) replaced Hartenstein in the lineup to begin the third quarter, and Oklahoma City’s available regulars were pretty much done by the end of the third quarter. Hopefully, that bodes well for Holmgren and Hartenstein’s availability for Wednesday’s game against the Clippers.

Back in the Thunder lineup after sitting out Monday’s win over the Pistons, Williams played 23 minutes in Thursday’s blowout. The nature of the game helped keep the minutes down for J-Dub and Isaiah Hartenstein (7/6/2/2/2), with the latter playing 20 minutes. With the Thunder hosting the Jazz on Sunday, that’s another game in which the Thunder may get additional rest.

With Williams and Hartenstein back in the lineup after sitting out Monday’s win over the Pistons, the Thunder will roll out their preferred starting five on Thursday. Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace head to the bench, lowering the fantasy ceilings of both young guards.

Hartenstein is back after a one-game absence, with Monday’s win over the Pistons being Oklahoma City’s second game in as many nights. His return will bump Cason Wallace to the bench.

It’s a tough break during fantasy championship week as both players will get the night off for injury maintenance. Jaylin Williams, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso should all take on additional minutes with J-Dub and Hartenstein sidelined.

Hartenstein has now recorded at least 10 rebounds in five of his last seven games. The 27-year-old center is an absolutely elite rebounder, but he’s averaging just 21.5 minutes per game in March and had 10 points in a game once in nine games this month. The Thunder have three games upcoming in Week 23, starting with a matchup against the Pistons on Monday.

Hartenstein was one point away from a triple-double with 20 rebounds in Saturday’s win over the Wizards. He didn’t have quite as good of a game on Monday against the 76ers, but he put up another double-double. The Thunder have three more games in Week 22, but only one is attached to a back-to-back, which should be beneficial for his availability.